Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Earth Day

This is one of my favorite pictures. I took it in while driving through Parker Ranch, in Waimea, Hawaii. Other that proving that there seems to be cows and not a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, it's a good lead-in to a science experiment for Earth Day.

You will need

A ripe avocado

Toothpicks

A tall, clean jar

Water

1. Have an adult cut open an avocado and give you the pit. Rinse off any avocado left on the pit.

2. Stick 3 or 4 toothpicks evenly around the center of the avocado and push them in about 1/4 of an inch.

3. Place the avocado, fat end down into the opening of the jar. The toothpicks should keep the avocado pit from falling into the jar. Fill the jar with water to the top. The bottom of the avocado should be covered with water.

4. Carefully put the jar in a warm spot. Keep the jar filled with water over the next few weeks until the pit starts to grow roots and a stem.

5. When the stem grows to several inches, plant the avocado into a large pot. Keep it in a warm and sunny spot.

Unless you live in a very warm place, like Hawaii or California, you may not be able to grow your

avocado outdoors. Avocado trees can grow to be over 60 feet tall and may have hundreds of avocados!

About Me

Shar Levine is an internationally award-winning, best selling author of hands-on science books for children. She also designs science toys. Shar writes with her best friend, Leslie Johnstone. Shar and Leslie shared the Eve Savory Award for Science Communication from the BC Innovation Council and 2 of their books were short-listed for the Subaru Award, given by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Science Books and Films